Dear Friends, I have studied history and medieval studies at the undergraduate level and I am trying to write a college thesis paper in a historiographic vein about Sir John Hawkwood in Italy, but I must admit that I'm off to a really bumpy start. It's hard enough when you can't read Italian and there's limited translations of primary sources. I've never done an independent research project in medieval studies this big before, and my school's senior program is extremely self-guided and focused on the independent project. My faculty advisers at Hampshire College include James Wald, Associate Professor of History who has some grounding in Renaissance studies, but our committee meetings are delayed thus far. At least I'm in the five college area. Perhaps I should search for outside faculty advice, but I'm not sure. Since other people have talked about their papers here, I would like to ask if anybody can suggest what worked for them.

I am reading up on the basics, with "The Devil's Broker: Seeking Gold, God, and Glory in 14th Century Italy" by Frances Stonor Saunders and "John Hawkwood: An English Mercenary in 14th Century Italy" by William Caferro. The former is more of a popular history and the latter is of a high academic standard, but what are your experiences with these books if you've had them? One of the things I want to analyze is their differing interpretation of the relationship between Hawkwood and Albert Stertz; for that matter with Andrew Belmont. Hawkwood was deserted by his subordinates in 1364 when they defected to Florence for large bribes, and Saunders believes that the reason that Stertz was executed by Perugia in 1366 is that he was double-crossed by Cardinal legate Albernoz with the connivance of Hawkwood who wanted a rival and enemy eliminated. On the contrary, Caferro writes that as soon as Belmont defected from Perugia back to Hawkwood's side they proceeded to take revenge on Perugia for holding their English soldiers hostage and for having killed Stertz. That seems to indicate that Hawkwood hadn't held a grudge after all, but I just don't know. All of this subterfuge and treachery is very baroque, but can I have any outside opinions on what's going on here and which speculation is more correct?

I haven't got many books about the late middle ages and early Italian renaissance in my personal collection yet either, but there's just so many on amazon and reading lists that I would rather start with a list of the essentials, especially on Italy, military matters, and arms and armor all in the 14th century. Are Osprey books about certain medieval campaigns well worth the money? How about a more general book about the theory of strategy and tactics, which I would like to learn more about?"This is a sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all diseases and miseries."
-Sir Walter Raleigh, upon being allowed to see the ax that would behead him, 29 October 1618

Damn. I was going to recommend Mallett too, but I see that I have been forestalled. Never mind; I'll just add another voice to the recommendation, and if it's true that the new 2009 edition is barely $20 then it's RIDICULOUSLY cheap for such a useful book.

Fowler's book is kind of expensive at $96 on Amazon at the lowest. I suppose I'll get it if I must, but it would be nice to find a better deal or a cheaper website or seller from which to purchase them. So is "Mercenaries and Paid Men: The Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages (Smithsonian History of Warfare)" which is $123 at least on Amazon."This is a sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all diseases and miseries."
-Sir Walter Raleigh, upon being allowed to see the ax that would behead him, 29 October 1618

Aha! I just found many of these books in the Five College Catalog, so it looks like I don't have to buy all of them. I now have Mallett and Fowler requested for ILL, and I've found a PDF of Mercenaries and Paid Men: the Mercenary Identity in the Middle Ages ed. Kelly deVries. Previously I hadn't been able to locate them in the catalog. I already have my copy of Caferro's "John Hawkwood". Which isn't to say I'm not still looking. Journal articles and essays are especially welcome. If any of you have something good to send my way, please leave a link in the comments!"This is a sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all diseases and miseries."
-Sir Walter Raleigh, upon being allowed to see the ax that would behead him, 29 October 1618

Wright, Nicholas. Knights and Peasants: The Hundred Years War in the French Countryside. Woodbridge, Suffolk, UK: Boydell, 1998. Print.

Works cited so far. Next problem: Where can I see Giovanni, Matteo, or Fillipo Villoni's chronicles translated in English? My lack of access to archival sources will be one of the biggest drawbacks here, so does anybody know about English editions, or failing that how to get documents in Italian/Latin/French/Middle English that I can take to somebody else to translate?"This is a sharp medicine, but it is a physician for all diseases and miseries."
-Sir Walter Raleigh, upon being allowed to see the ax that would behead him, 29 October 1618

I have photocopies of three volumes of the Villani Chronicles. The ones by Giovanni and Matteo are too early to include much about Hawkwood. Fillipo's continuance of the family chronicle is more a biography of important people in Northern Italy in his day. I don't recall if Hawkwood got much press from Filipo Villani. BTW, they are in Italian and I am unaware of any English translation having been published. I also have no intention of scanning them as they are enormous volumes. You should be able to ILL them too, if you want to puzzle through the Italian text.

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